In 2023, the state saw a record surge in domestic tourism, with 21,871,641 visitors, while international tourist numbers reached 649,057. The Tourism Board anticipates that international tourist numbers will return to pre-COVID levels by 2025.
The Kerala Tourism Department successfully concluded the Kerala Tourism Partnership Meet 2024 on August 28 in Mumbai, aiming to reconnect with the travel trade fraternity. The event focused on educating the trade about its latest product potpourri and unveiling the newest developments in the tourism sector besides announcing the launch of campaign ‘Revisit Wayanad’ to enhance the region’s offerings.
Kerala Tourism reported a significant rebound in the tourism industry, with a notable increase in domestic arrivals. In 2019, the state achieved its highest growth rate in domestic and total tourist arrivals in 24 years, reaching a total of 19,574,004 visitors, including 18,384,233 domestic tourists and 1,189,771 international visitors. In 2023, the state saw a record surge in domestic tourism, with 21,871,641 visitors, while international tourist numbers reached 649,057. The Tourism Board anticipates that international tourist numbers will return to pre-COVID levels by 2025.
In the first quarter (January-March) of 2024, Kerala attracted 5,037,307 domestic tourists, compared to 4,936,274 visitors during the same period the previous year, reflecting a 2.05 percent increase. “We are targeting 22 million domestic tourists and 800,000 international tourists to visit Kerala in 2024,” stated Aswin P Kumar, Deputy Director of Kerala Tourism. “The international traffic primarily comes from the US, UK, the Middle East, as well as European nations such as Germany and France, and the Maldives. Domestically, the key markets are Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh.”
Apart from well-established destinations in Kerala like Munnar and Kovalam, the state is also focusing on developing new destinations to offer a fuller experience of Kerala. These emerging destinations include Varkala, Kumarakom, and others, where tourists can engage in responsible tourism through activities such as exploring backwaters or village life.
Additionally, Kumar highlighted initiatives for revitalizing tourism in Wayanad. “Starting next month, the state will launch a campaign ‘Revisit Wayanad’ to enhance the region’s offerings. The problem affected the livelihood of the local community of the affected area, since tourism is main source of generating income there. The unfortunate event occurred in one of many fractions of Wayanad. The State has carried out several rehabilitation activities in the affected area, but the other areas in Wayanad are open to tourists and one can travel anytime. But people have already started to come in.”
Kerala will also host an international conference on gender-inclusive tourism in October. This event aims to showcase the state’s success in promoting participatory development in tourism through the Responsible Tourism scheme and to address issues faced by women travelers. Beginning with a Partnership Meet in Vadodara, followed by Surat, Kerala Tourism has planned a series of travel trade networking activities. These include participation in trade fairs and organizing B2B roadshows to introduce new products to a broader audience across the country. In addition to Mumbai, a similar B2B meetings is held in Pune, followed by Chennai, and Kolkata.
